Iserotope Extras - Issue #52

Happy Thursday, Extras subscribers! I hope you’re doing well. This week, check out articles about the dangers of white microvalidations, the health benefits of silence, the problems of the trucking industry, and the importance of hospice nurses. Enjoy your last days of July!

I like this short post, which adds more terms that all white people should know and explore. In addition to “white privilege,” consider “white fragility,” “white fog,” and “appropriate whiteness.” Most important, the author points out, is that white people should attack each other’s “microvalidations.” In other words, if you’re white, and another white person says something stupid, make sure to say something back.

In my last years of teaching, I wore enormous ear muffs (like these, like the ones airport workers wear) in between classes to focus my attention away from the sounds of school. It turns out that the word “noise” comes from a Latin root meaning “pain” and that silence (more than music?) makes our bodies feel better.

Being a truck driver is hard: long days, tough working conditions, health problems—and if you’re a woman, unchecked sexual harassment. This well-researched article uncovers the dark underbelly of the male-dominated trucking industry.

Hospice nurse Heather Meyerend takes care of people who are on the brink of death. In this profile, we get to know Heather and her patients, and we are reminded of the importance of human connection at the end of our lives.